Wish You Well
by Blue is the New Red
Summary: When May decided to visit Ash for Christmas, she didn't plan on getting sick. Turns out it'll be the best Christmas ever. Advanceshipping AshxMay AaMayL


**Wish You Well**

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, soooooo I haven't really done any Advanceshipping oneshots recently, and it's Christmas time... So I was like "So, Christmas time + Advanceshipping + oneshot = Christmas Advanceshipping Oneshot Story!"<strong>

**I'll do the rest of my jibber jabber at the end of the fic.**

**I don't own Pokémon**

* * *

><p>It had been a long time since Ash had spent Christmas at home. Ever since he had left on his journey, he always spent Christmas on the road. It always saddened him to think he wouldn't spend Christmas back in good 'ol Pallet Town. That's why he made a decision.<p>

After waving goodbye to his traveling companions, he hopped on a plane and flew back over to Kanto from Unova. He and Pikachu were defiantly excited, but his mother took excitement to a whole new level. Knowing good and well this would be one of the only times she would spend Christmas with her son for a long time, she decided to make the best out of it. And what better way than to cook up a storm?

It was Christmas Eve and Ash was happy to be home and to see all of his Pokémon. As much as he loved gifts, he decided to just lay back and not worry about them too much. After all, it was just him, Pikachu, and his mother right?

_Haha_. **Wrong**.

She came unexpectedly, but apparently not uninvited. Mrs. Ketchum had invited her over; in fact, she had invited all of Ash friends over. His other friends all had their own plans though, they hadn't expected Ash to return for Christmas, so no one was able to come...

... _Except for her_.

Ash Ketchum sat on the couch with Pikachu snuggled comfortably in his lap. Despite being so close to the ocean, it still snowed in Pallet Town and was very cold this time of year. Ash was thankful for the added body heat of his partner snuggled into his lap.

Across from him on around couch sat an old friend, a traveling partner he had met a long while ago. She shivered, her teeth chattered, her knees knocked together, she had been traveling in the snow with not much more than a jacket. On her head was the familiar green bandana, which laid over her brown head of hair. She had on an orange jacket and long, green pants.

***ACHOO**!* the girl sneezed.

Suddenly he thought of something and wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. "Would you like a blanket, May?" He asked.

"Y-ya-yeah..." May stuttered, sneezing again. Lifting Pikachu off his lap and onto the couch, Ash stood up and went over to the closet, opening it up and finding a thick, wool blanket. As he approached May, he unfolded it and laid it over her.

"T-thanks," May said, grabbed the sides of the blanket and wrapping them around herself tightly. Thinking about how his body heat kept Pikachu a little warm, Ash figured he'd do the same for May.

"Hey," he began, "Let me help you warm up." He sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her, sending a relieving wave of heat through her body. Although Ash couldn't see it, a blush formed on May's face.

Finally warming up and feeling more able to talk, May spoke up. "Thanks, Ash." She said, snuggling in a little.

Ash smiled, "No problem," he told her, "We needed to warm you up." Not saying much more, May nodded, and snuggled into Ash deeper, wrapping to blanket around herself tighter.

"It probably wasn't smart to travel here so lightly," May admitted, Ash chuckled and patted her shoulder.

"Yeah, let's hope you don't get the flu, it's Christmas after all," Ash said. Pikachu's ears perked up. The electric mouse sleepily lifted his head and looked around. Seeing that his excellent source of heat had moved, he groggily fell off the couch and stumbled over to Ash. Wearily falling onto Ash's feet, taking in whatever heat his legs gave off, Pikachu was just too groggy to hop up into Ash's lap. Seeing what Pikachu wanted, Ash lifted the resting Pokémon into his lap, laying him down in a warmer spot. Although Pikachu was still asleep, a smile appeared on his face and he once again snuggled into Ash's lap.

"He's cute when he sleeps," May said quietly, gazing at Pikachu. "I wish I- *yawn*" May let out a long yawn, beginning to feel sleepy herself. With the comforting warmth from the blanket and Ash's body, she couldn't help but feel drowsy.

"I think I'll..." She began, but she fell asleep in mid sentence, her head falling onto Ash shoulder. Now some would find the situation Ash was in odd, but of course, knowing good 'ol, dense Ash, he found the situation as no more than helping a friend.

Looking down at Pikachu and over at May, Ash figured he wouldn't be moving anytime soon, he had two sleeping body lying on him. So he closed his eyes, and nodded off to sleep.

* * *

><p>When May woke up, she felt as if she couldn't breathe. But taking a deep breath through her mouth she realized she had a stuffy nose. She looked around and blushed, she was leaning against Ash. Who was fast asleep, Pikachu was asleep on his lap. Unwrapping herself from the warm blanket she had been wrapped in, May quietly got off the couch and looked around for a tissue box to blow her nose.<p>

"Hey May, are you feeling better?" She heard Mrs. Ketchum asked. May turned around and saw her wrapping a present on the dining room table.

"Oh, yeah, just got a stuffy nose," May said, cringing when she heard her own voice. She definitely sounded like she had a stuffy nose. Mrs. Ketchum got up from the table and laid a hand down on May's forehead. May's heart sunk when she heard Mrs. Ketchum gasp.

"Oh dear, you're burning up," Mrs. Ketchup said. May's face drooped, _what a time to get sick_.

"Sit down, sit down, I'll get you some tissues and a thermometer," Mrs. Ketchum said. She sat May down at the dining room table, and rushed out of the kitchen. She quickly returned with the box of tissues and the thermometer.

May quickly blew get nose before grabbing the thermometer and taking her temperature. After it beeped, May took the device out of her mouth and checked it.

"101.2" It read. May sunk into her seat.

"Great..." She moaned, "Of all the lousy times to be sick!" she exclaimed, clearly frustrated.

Mrs. Ketchup smiled sadly and rubbed May's back. "Now just because your sick doesn't mean we can't have a good time," Mrs. Ketchup said, "I'm sure we'll have lots of fun."

May nodded and wiped her eyes. She smiled to Delilah. _Mrs. Ketchum is right_, May thought_, I have to keep a positive attitude. I can't let a sickness bring me down._

* * *

><p>Ash was peacefully sleeping on the couch with Pikachu until an abrupt sound awoke him.<p>

***ACHOO!***

He was jolted from his sleep and sat up. He found that May was no longer sleeping beside him, but was now on the couch opposite of him, laying down and reading a magazine, wrapped up in a warm blanket.

May looked over at Ash and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, did I wake you up?" She asked. But Ash simply smiled back and waved it off.

"It's fine, are you feeling better?" Ash asked her. May sighed sadly and laid the magazine down.

"I am, but it turns out that I got the flu," She said.

"Oh, no," Ash said sadly, "May, that's too bad..."

May sighed again and rubbed her arms. "I'm not gonna let it get to me," She told Ash, "I'm going to stay positive.

Ash smiled and raised his fist, "That the spirit!" he exclaimed, making May smile. His sudden outburst awoke Pikachu, who began to stir and twitch his ears. His eyes fluttered open and he lift his head, looking around and letting out a yawn.

"Pika?" He asked, looked over at May.

"Hey, it's good to see you're awake, Pik-***ACHOO***!" May let out a sneeze as she tried to speak. Ash let out a laugh at the irony, Pikachu however, was not as amused.

"I'm sure we're going to have a great Christmas, May," Ash said as laughed. May smiled and nodded. Suddenly, an idea popped into Ash's head. "Hey, we should bake cookies for Santa!" Pikachu smiled and nodded his head, rather liking the idea.

May let out a laugh, "Sure, let's do that."

* * *

><p>"Flour?"<p>

"Pika."

"Sugar?"

"Pika."

"Chocolate chips?"

"Pika."

"Vanilla?"

"Pika."

May smiled and nodded. "Good, then we have everything." So, Ash, May, and Pikachu began attempting to make cookies... And thus, chaos ensued.

"That's not enough flour!"

"You're pouring way too much sugar!"

"Pi pika pika!"

"Ash wait!"

***POOF!***

A huge cloud of flour poured from the bag as it was knocked over, layering them all in a thin coat of white.

May sighed, "Great job, Ash," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Um... It's not all that bad..." Ash said, looking at the floury mess he had made.

"Not bad? It looks like it's snowing in here!" May exclaimed, sneezing after speaking. A puff of flour shot out of her nose as she sneeze, causing Ash and Pikachu to burst out in laughter.

"Alright..." Ash said, trying to stop his laughter, May was giving him an evil glare, "Let's keep moving..."

They finished the mixture of the cookies, laid them out on a platter, and stuck them in the oven.

"Santa is gonna love these," Ash said energetically. "Isn't that right, Buddy?" He asked Pikachu.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed. May tilted her head, looking at Ash oddly. _Is he being serious? _She asked. This whole time, she had thought that Ash had been joking about Santa and he had baked the cookies for them.

"Ash... Let's ***ACHOO!*** talk..." May said, sneezing again. They walked into the living and each sat down on the couch, so that they were facing each other.

"What did you want to talk about, May?" Ash asked.

May sighed, "This whole '_Santa_ _joke_' thing..."

Ash exchanged glances with Pikachu. "What Santa joke thing?" He asked.

May sneezed again, and wiped her nose with a tissue, "This whole cookies for Santa Claus thing."

Ash blinked a few times, "Uh... That's not a joke... Did you think it was a joke?" he asked.

May averted her eyes away from him, "So... You don't know?" she asked.

"Don't know what?"

"That... He isn't real."

"Santa?"

"Yes, he isn't real." May told him, she felt bad, as if she was crushing his spirit of Christmas.

"Yes he is," Ash said, seeming unfazed.

"Did your mother ever tell you he's not?" May asked. Although she typically let people believe that Santa was real, she felt Ash was old enough to know the truth.

"No." Ash said, shaking his head.

"Well, he's not real," May said sadly, Ash still seemed unfazed.

"Yeah he is."

"No he's not."

"Yes he is."

"No he's not."

"You better watch what you say. He might bring you coal for saying that."

"This is **childish**, Ash!" May exclaimed, standing up, now towering over him, "Santa is just a made up person to make kids be good all year!"

Ash blinked a few times, looking up at May. "I've seen him before."

May sighed and shrugged, "Where? At the mall? Those aren't _real_Santas."

Ash shook his head, "No, Brock, Misty, Pikachu, and I rode on a Lapras over to the North Pole to help a Jynx..."

May was about to protest, but stopped, "Wait... What?"

Ash then proceeded to explain the story about how he and his friends had gone to the North Pole, so long ago. "It all sounds really corny," Ash said, "But it's true..."

May didn't move, she seemed lost in time. "May?" Ash asked, he waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn't respond.

***ACHOO!***

She let out a sneeze, breaking her from her trance. "That's... Really something..." May said, after she had turned eight, her parents told her Santa never really existed. The idea broke her heart, she couldn't believe all that time he wasn't the one who put gifts under the tree. But now, Ash claimed to have seen the true Santa with his eyes.

"Are you sure it wasn't a dream?" May asked.

Ash nodded, "Yep, it happened really early on in my journey. You can ask Misty and Brock, they saw it too." May glanced down at Pikachu, who nodded with agreement.

"I-I'll take you word for it..." May said.

"Hey, we should stay up tonight and wait for him!" Ash said, "Then you can see him yourself!"

May smiled, "Yeah, that would be ***ACHOO***... Ugh... Fun..." May said, grabbing another tissue, "Speaking of Santa, you're going to love the gift I brought you."

Ash's eyes widened, _Oh no_! He thought, _I need to get May a gift_! He looked down at Pikachu, who appeared to be thinking the same thing.

"Hey, listen May," Ash began, "I need to step out for a few minutes... Uh... Pull the cookies out when they're done!" Ash said as he scrambled off the couch and quickly slipped his shoes on.

"Where are you going?" May asked him, "Can I come?"

"No! Top secret stuff, be right back!" Ash exclaimed as he threw on a jacket and dashed out the door with Pikachu. May blinked a few times, processing what just happened.

_I wonder where he's going off to_, May thought.

* * *

><p>Ash ran down the road towards town, Pikachu clutched his shoulder tightly. He came to a stop when he reached the street in Pallet Town known for being lined up with stores.<p>

"Any ideas, Pikachu?" Ash asked, trying to catch his breath. Pikachu shook his head, the first thing that came to mind was a big bottle of ketchup, but he knew May wouldn't care for that.

"I feel bad that she's sick for Christmas," Ash told the Pokémon on his shoulder; "I want to get her something special, something that will lift her spirits."

"Pika," Pikachu agreed. Ash began to stroll down the road, looking into the windows of the shops.

As they past the Pallet Food Market, an idea popped into Ash's head. "We could get her some cool snack!" Ash said, "She loves to eat." He was about to walk into the store when Pikachu tugged on his jacket and shook his head.

"Pi, pika pika, Chu Pikachu," Pikachu explained.

Ash sighed, "I guess you're right, I don't want to give her the wrong idea." He continued to walk down the road; looking into the windows he passed by.

Ash raised a brow as he walked by a jewelry store. "Hey, how about a necklace or bracelet? I bet she would love that!"

Pikachu smiled and nodded excitedly. Ash nodded and reached for the doorknob, as he clutched it and was about to pull it open, but stopped short.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked.

Ash sighed, "It's just that... It's so common... Everyone does that... I want to get her something nobody would have expected." After thinking about Ash's logic, Pikachu agreed. It seemed necklaces were always an overly common gift. Ash let go of the doorknob and continued his walk down the road.

"How about a book?" Ash asked as they past the bookstore.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed. Ash pushed open the door and looked around. There were lots of shelves, a girl sat behind the counter; she was reading a book, not even bothering to look up as Ash stepped inside. Ash walked in-between the two of the many long and tall shelves. There were tons of novels, all which looked rather uninteresting to Ash. He found the magazine section, which had a section for coordinators. He sat down on the floor and pulled a few out.

He open one of the magazines and flipped through the pages. He stopped short when he saw the interview section; May's face was on one of the pages. Looking closer at the page, Ash realized the magazine had interviewed May. He and Pikachu exchanged glances before Ash began to read.

"_When I started off, I didn't want anything to do with Pokémon_," Ash began to read aloud. "_I actually just was using them as an excuse to travel_."

Ash's eyes widened, he never knew that, he had assumed May wanted to be a trainer. "_But on the first day of my journey I met this boy_," Ash continued, "_I first met him as I and Professor Birch pulled him up a cliff, which he had jumped off to save his Pikachu_."

Ash smiled and looked down at Pikachu, "You remember that Pikachu?" Pikachu just groaned and scratched his head.

Ash continued reading, "_I began my journey with that boy, you might have heard of him. His name was Ash Ketchum, he got top eight in the Hoenn League, top four in the Sinnoh League, and was one of the only trainers to beat the battle frontier._"

It was the next part the surprised him. "_Ash Ketchum was my mentor_," Ash read, "_Not just that, he was my mentor, my encouragement, my inspiration, and... My best friend... Ever_..."

Ash and Pikachu exchanges glances again, Ash had never realized May thought so highly of him. He closed the magazine and put it back on the shelf, along with all the other magazines he had took off. He stood up, and walked out of the store.

"How about that, Pikachu," Ash said, walking down the road again, "That was interesting... Although it doesn't help me decide what to get May for Christmas..."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, pointing to a particular store.

Ash looked at it and smiled, "Pikachu, you're a genius."

* * *

><p><strong>*DING!*<strong>

May got up off the couch and quickly made her way into the kitchen. She put on an oven mitt and turned off the oven. Carefully and slowly, she opened the door, releasing a wave a heat. She reached inside with the hand covered by the oven mitt and carefully grabbed the tray, lifting it out and setting them on the counter to cool. Feeling a sneeze coming on, May dashed out of the kitchen and into the living room, far away from the cookies.

***ACHOO!***

She sniffed, wiped her nose with another tissue, and washed her hands. _Man, this flu is getting annoying_, May thought to herself. She walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. She glanced at the Christmas tree, which was fully decorated. Under the tree sat a present, wrapped in simple wrapping paper. May looked at the present, she had planned to give Ash that present for a special purpose, but was beginning to have second thoughts. She just closed her eyes and shook her head.

***ACHOO!***

May laid herself down on the couch, now staring at the ceiling. No turning back, May thought to herself, I can do this.

"May, are you feeling better?"

May jumped at the sound of the voice. She sat up and saw Mrs. Ketchum looking at her.

"Yeah," May told her, "I think I'm getting bet- ***ACHOO!***"

Mrs. Ketchum smirked and nodded, "Whatever you say, dear. Give me a shout if you need anything." With that, she disappeared around the corner.

***Click***

May heard the front door open. She got up off the couch and walked over to find Ash taking off his coat and shoes, Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and climbed up May.

"Wha-?" May began, Pikachu got up to her shoulder and snuggled into her neck, "H-Hey! That tickles!" May told him.

"Heh, Pikachu's looking for heat, and I'm as cold as a Snorunt," Ash told her. May smiled and scratched Pikachu's head, causing him to coo.

"So where did you go?" May asked.

Ash took off his scarf, "I had to go get something," he told her, "Hey, are the cookies finished?"

May's faces brightened and she stepped into the kitchen, showing Ash the tray of cooked pastries.

"They smell great," Ash said, he happily picked one up and took a bite.

"Aren't these for Santa?" May asked, letting out a giggle.

Ash shrugged, "Who said we couldn't have a few?"

May laughed and picked up a cookie off the tray, "You're such a naughty boy," she said jokingly. Ash and she laughed.

"Pika!"

May craned her neck and saw Pikachu looking at her, pointing to the cookies. She giggled again and handed him one. He took it and began to happily nibble on it.

***ACHOO!***

May cover her mouth as she sneezed, but the sudden movement jerked Pikachu from his warm spot on her shoulder. He fell to the ground along with his cookie.

"Piiiiii..." Pikachu groaned as he got back on his feet, shaking his head.

"Sorry, Pikachu," May said, kneeling down and rubbing his head.

* * *

><p>It was dark outside, only illuminated by the Christmas lights hanging on the house. Mrs. Ketchum had wished Ash, May, and Pikachu a good night, and went off to bed. Ash and May sat on the couch in the living room, Pikachu curled up in Ash's lap, also beginning to fall asleep. The living room was dark as well, only being lit up by the lights on the Christmas tree.<p>

"So what time do you think Santa will get here," May asked. She was sitting down with a blanket wrapped tightly around her. Ash sat on the couch opposite of her.

"I don't know," Ash said, "I guess it depends which regions he decides to go to first. May was officially determined to stay up for Santa. If what Ash was true, then Santa would have to come. After all, Ash was the nicest person she knew. She and Ash had laid out the cookies and milk, which they both swore they wouldn't eat.

***ACHOO!***

May sneezed and quickly grabbed a tissue. Ash smiled sadly, "I'm really sorry you got sick, May," he told her.

May shook her head. "It doesn't matter," May said, "I have been having a blast, we should spend every Christmas together."

Ash grinned and nodded. "Totally," He told her.

Suddenly, May noticed Ash shiver. "Are you cold?" She asked him.

Ash, of course, shook his head, "No, I'm fine." Almost immediately after, he shivered.

May laughed, "Yeah, right." She got up off the couch and sat down next to him giving him some of her blanket.

"But..." Ash began.

"No 'buts'," May told him, making sure he was covered by the large blanket. "Just because I'm sick doesn't mean I'm going to let you freeze." Ash nodded and grabbed the blanket, tucking part of it around himself. May did the same. As large as the blanket was, the two still had to sit shoulder to shoulder. But with the blanket and the addition of the body heat, they were both comfortably warm.

...

"Thanks, May," Ash said, smiling at her.

Although it was too dark to tell, May was blushing dark red, "No problem, Ash."

Ash let out a yawn, blinking a few times. It was late, and his body was telling him to go to sleep. The addition of the comforting warmth only made him sleepier. Typically when he was tried and tried to stay awake, he would stand up and walk around, but he couldn't do that with Pikachu asleep on his lap.

"Mmmmm..." Ash moaned, he rested head in his hand, which was supported by the couch, almost nodding off into sleep.

"What did you say, Ash?" May asked, snapping him back awake. She still wouldn't look up, afraid he would see her blushing face.

"Nothing," Ash said. He looked at the fireplace, as if expecting Santa to come down any minute.

"If Santa comes down the chimney, let's pretend we're asleep," May said.

"Okay," Ash agreed, although he knew that could be a bad idea, he might accidentally fall asleep.

May herself had her doubts, she actually didn't really expect Santa to appear, but she had enough hope and trust in Ash to stay awake to see.

Ash on the other hand, was struggling to stay awake, he was so comfortable on the couch with Pikachu on his lap, a blanket wrapped around him, and May leaning against him. Another strategy he would typically use to stay awake was having Pikachu electrocute him, but of course, the electric mouse was sleeping.

As hard as he fought, he couldn't stay awake, sleep overcame him. May sat quietly by him, not realizing he was asleep.

***THUMP!***

May jumped, as she heard a loud noise. It sounded like something had landed on the roof.

_No... Flipping... Way_... May thought to herself. She looked at the fireplace; soot was falling from the chimney. She heard grunt and watched a large figure dressed in red drop down.

She passed out.

* * *

><p>Ash woke up as a beam of sunlight shot through the window and into his face. <em>Ugh, this is why I'm supposed to close the window's blinds at night,<em>Ash thought. Looking around, he found he was still wrapped up in the blanket, and Pikachu was still in his lap. What surprised him was May, who had snuggled into the crook of his neck. He realized the scent of bacon was wafting in the air, his mom must have woken up, and was preparing breakfast. He glanced at the plate of cookies and the glass of milk, which were both empty.

_Hah, told you, May_, Ash thought to himself. He felt Pikachu stirring on his lap. Ash removed the blanket and uncovered the Pokémon, who stretched and yawned.

"Merry Christmas, Pikachu," Ash whispered.

"Pika pika," Pikachu quietly replied. The slight movement caused May to stir, her eyes fluttered opened. She quickly sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Morning..." She said.

"Merry Christmas," Ash replied.

May quietly giggled, "Oh yeah, that **_*_ACHOO!_*_**... too." Pikachu smiled and leapt into May's lap, snuggling into her stomach.

"Pika pika!" He said.

May laughed and rubbed the electric type's head. "Merry Christmas to you too!" She said cheerfully. "Hey, can you believe we saw Santa last night? That was insane! All these years I didn't think he was actually real... Wow..."

Dehila's head appeared from behind the corner. "Merry Christmas, you three," she said cheerfully, "Why don't you come into the kitchen, I've almost got breakfast ready."

Ash and May exchanged glances before quickly getting up and rushing into the kitchen. "Oh yeah!" Ash said excitedly, looking at the food on the table. Despite the fact that May had the flu, it didn't seem to affect her appetite. Not surprisingly, they two managed to gobble down most of the food on the table.

"So Pikachu, are you ready to open your presents?" Ash asked, Pikachu's ears perked up and a smile appeared on his face.

"Pika!" He exclaimed. Ash smiled and ran off into the living room, returning with two presents, both shaped as bottles.

Ash set down the first one, "This is from May," He told Pikachu. The Pokémon ripped off the wrapping paper, and squealed in delight. Not surprisingly, it was a bottle of ketchup. He excitedly dash over to May and almost knocked her out of her chair, happily snuggling into her stomach all over again.

"I glad you like it, Pikachu," May said. Ash set down the second bottle shaped present on the table. Pikachu hopped off May and over to the second present. Hoping for the best, he opened the present.

Pikachu's ears dropped. It wasn't a bottle of ketchup, but rather a bottle of mustard. "P-Pikachu?" He uttered. Pikachu looked horrified, as though he had just seen a Gengar.

Ash let out a laugh, "You really think I would get you a bottle of mustard?" he asked, he pulled out a second bottle of ketchup and set it down, snapping Pikachu back to life.

"Pi Pikachu!" He said, happily tackling Ash to the ground. May giggled as Ash yelped and was knocked over.

"Glad you like it..." Ash groaned from the floor. Pikachu got off of him so he could get back onto his feet. "Want to see what I got you, May?"

May nodded and stood up. "Okay, follow me!" Ash said, dashing to the front door. "It's in the shed, so you'll need your jacket." he told her. May shrugged and put on her jacket. The two and the Pikachu stepped outside, and walked into the shed.

"This was long overdue," Ash said, he threw open the door revealing the present. May gasped before let out a laugh.

"Aw, Ash you shouldn't have," She said. She stepped up to her present.

"Well, I've always felt bad for Bar-B-Qing your bike back in Hoenn," Ash said, scratching the back of his head, "Pikachu pointed out the bike shop downtown, so I figured I'd get you a new bike."

May hugged him, "It's awesome, I love it."

Ash returned the hug, "That's good," he told her.

She looked at him, "Was that where you ran off to, yesterday? To get me present?"

Ash turned his gaze to the ground, "Yeah. It's not that I forgot or anything... It was just short notice. I didn't actually know you were coming..."

May cheerfully shrugged it off, "That's fine! Hey, want to see my gift?" Ash smiled and nodded. The three dashed back into the house. Ash and May took off their jackets, and walked into the living room. May reached under the tree and pulled out her present to Ash.

***ACHOO!***

"Sorry... Here you go," May said, handing him the box. Although Ash didn't notice, a blush was creeping onto May's face. Ash ripped off the wrapping and smiled at the present.

It was a hard cover book, with a picture of him, May, Max, Brock, and Pikachu on it. "It's a photo album," May explained, "Open it up and check it out."

Ash lifted the book open and sat down on the couch. Pikachu and May joined him, looking at the book as well. There were tons of pictures of the group throughout their travels through Hoenn and Kanto. Pictures of May winning her ribbons and Ash winning badges were plasters everywhere, one picture that stuck out to Ash was the picture of the Terracotta Ribbon he and May split.

"I still have that ribbon," May said, digging through her pocket and pulling out the ribbon.

"Cool," Ash said, "So do I!" He nodded to Pikachu who jump off the couch and quickly returned with Ash's backpack. Ash dug through the front pocket of the backpack and pulled out his half of the ribbon. The two smiled and held up the two half ribbons.

"Heh, that was such a great memory," Ash said, setting down the half of a ribbon and returning his attention back to the photo album.

He let out a laugh as he saw an old picture of him dressed as a female. May and Pikachu joined in with his laughter.

"Ugh, that was an embarrassing day," Ash said.

"Yeah, but it was still funny," May giggled. Ash continued to flip through the pages. He saw a few pictures of him, May, and both of their Bulbasaurs.

"Those two worked really awesome together," Ash said.

May nodded, "Yeah, they made a great team..."

Ash continued through the book, seeing pictures of the time they met Jerachi, Max was hugging the legendary tightly. Ash sighed, "Those where some good times."

"It's too bad we won't ever see Jirachi again," May said sadly. Ready to pick up the mood, she flipped the page for Ash. Ash smiled again when he saw Tory Lund, a white haired boy who lived in LaRousse City, where they had met Deoxys and Rayquaza.

"Good 'ol Tory," Ash said, flipping the page. He noticed a picture of he and his friends all dressed up in costumes, on front of a painting of a Lucario.

"Remember that Ball?" May asked, "You should have danced."

"Yeah, but they wouldn't let me," Ash grumbled, flipping the page again. Be smiled again, this consisted of images when they were with Manaphy.

"I still miss him," May said, holding a hand to her heart.

"Of course you do," Ash told her, "Shows how much you loved him." he flipped the page again and saw that the pictures on it were taken in Sinnoh. Several pictures of him, May, and Dawn in their coordinator outfits.

"I wish you could have made it farther in that contest," May said, "I wanted to battle you again."

Ash nodded, "Yeah, it would have been fun, but it just didn't happen... Oh well."

***ACHOO!***

May sneezed, flipping the book to the final page. "That was gross, but awesome," Ash said jokingly. May rolled her eyes.

May's eyes widened when she saw the page. For a minute, she thought she should just get up and walk away, but decided against it. Ash looked back down at the book and looked at the final page. It was the interview from the magazine he had read the other day. Now that he looked at it, he realized that he never finished reading it. He lifted the book closer to his face and began to read.

"_Ash Ketchum was my mentor, not just that, he was my mentor, my encouragement, my inspiration, and my best friend ever_," Ash picked up from where he left off, "_He had such a huge influence on my life; I don't know where I would be without him. Over time, I developed a strong connection to him, and grew attached to him. I've wanted to tell this to him to the face, but never had the guts to.._."

Ash's eyes widened as he continued to read the interview, "_Ash Ketchum, if you ever read this, I just want to say... I love you_." he laid the book down on his lap, and looked at May.

"M-May?" He asked.

"Merry Christmas, A- ***ACHOO**!*... Ugh... Ash." May said.

"The sneeze kind of ruined the moment," Ash told her.

May nodded, "Yeah it did."

Ash looked back down at the page of the magazine, "So is this true?" he asked her.

May nodded, "Of course it is," she told him, "I would kiss you, but I don't want to get you sick."

Without a word, Ash leaned over and kissed May on the lips, making her eyes go wide.

"A-Ash," She stuttered, "Y-you... You... ***ACHOO!***"

Ash smiled and patted her shoulder, "Even if I do get sick, it was worth it. I've been waiting to do that for a long time."

May smiled and hugged Ash tightly. _Best. Christmas. Ever_.

* * *

><p><strong>So you may or may not have noticed, but what Ash said in front of the jewelry shop was referring to other fanfictions. In almost every Christmas Advanceshipping story I have read, Ash gets May a necklace of some sorts, I figured I'd have him give her a bike, because he destroyed her old one.<strong>

**_So yeah_.**

**That was fun to write, I have been desperate to write something other than FTaL right now. Maybe this will freshen me up.**

**Leave a review! It only takes a second to say whether or not you like a story. (**

**_Unless you want to gush your heart out and give me a long review. I like those too_)**

**But anyways...**

_**Merry Christmas!**_**  
>The Shiny Gengar<strong>


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